


like a roller coaster

by LydiaOfNarnia



Category: Band of Brothers
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Amusement Parks, M/M, Panic Attacks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-10
Updated: 2017-07-10
Packaged: 2018-11-30 09:59:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 806
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11461239
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LydiaOfNarnia/pseuds/LydiaOfNarnia
Summary: After all, if Babe doesn't chase after Gene, who will?(written for the Tumblr prompt:"Hey, you're safe now, it's over.")





	like a roller coaster

**Author's Note:**

> Of course, the characters in this fic are based off of their fictional portrayals from the miniseries Band of Brothers, and I mean no disrespect to the real-life veterans!
> 
> Find me on tumblr at [renelemaires](http://renelemaires.tumblr.com/)!

He just manages to catch sight of Gene’s leg vanishing through the doorway before the bathroom door slams shut behind him. Babe huffs out a curse and picks up speed again, ducking through the sea of people towards the building that stands just in front of a painted fence. 

He hates amusement park bathrooms. They’re filthy, they’re cramped, and they’re almost always crammed with people. Even as a kid he would refuse to go into them (leading to an unpleasant memory of peeing his pants on the middle of the tilt-a-whirl which his Ma still hasn’t let him live down). The fact that he’s rushing in now after the elusive shadow of his boyfriend is nothing short of ironic.

Luck must be on his side right now (where has it been all day?) because the bathroom is blissfully deserted when he rushes in. Only one stall is closed, and beneath it Babe catches sight of a familiar pair of dark shoes.

He teased Gene about wearing those shoes to the amusement park just this morning. Now he couldn’t be more glad he chose to take notice of the other man’s footwear.

“Hey, Gene?” he ventures, cautiously approaching the stall. “It’s me.”

A short beat of silence follows before Gene finally speaks. “I know it’s you, Babe.”

“Oh. Right.” Stupid. They’re here all alone – who else would bother to chase after Gene?

As soon as he saw his boyfriend sprinting in the opposite direction of the roller coaster, he took off after him without a second of hesitation. There’s no question that this is Babe’s fault; he should have been more mindful, should have been less self-absorbed, should have realized Gene wasn’t having as much fun as he was. Gene’s been reluctant about going on rides all day. The roller coaster, he supposes, was the last straw.

“Did it upset your stomach?” he asks, voice laced with hesitation. He knows Gene to have a very strong stomach, but there had been a lot of upside-down whirls there. “I could get you some water or somethin’…”

“No, Babe, I’m fine,” Gene says. His voice is tight, but he doesn’t sound sick – just freaked.

Babe lays a cautious hand on the outside of the stall. “Do you wanna come out?”

“Not really.”

“Okay. That’s fine. Can I come in, though? I wanna make sure you’re okay.”

For a long moment, Gene doesn’t reply, and Babe almost feels ashamed of his request. Then the sound of a lock sliding back echoes through the bathroom, and Gene’s face appears in the open doorway.

The first thing Babe notices is that Gene is pale – his skin, usually a sun-kissed tan, has gone paper white. This only accentuates the darkness of his wide eyes, which regard Babe with wariness as they peer out of the stall. Gene’s knuckles are tense around the door; his chest is heaving with barely controlled breaths.

“Ah god,” Babe mutters, and curses his own stupidity. He’s an idiot, idiot, _idiot._ “Gene, I’m sorry.”

“It’s not your fault,” Gene says, and he’s trying so hard to keep his voice level that Babe can hear it. “I just need a break… just for a little while. It’s stupid to get worked up over a roller coaster…”

“No, I shouldn’t have made you go,” Babe says immediately. The thought of Gene blaming himself constricts his heart, and makes him feel nauseous in a different way than the coaster. 

Gene shakes his head. “You didn’t make me do anything,” he replies. When Babe reaches out to lay a hand on his shoulder, he doesn’t flinch away; the flicker of relief that crosses his face encourages Babe to pull him closer.

“It’s okay,” he whispers as Gene presses himself into his arms. “You’re safe now. It’s over.”

“It was a roller coaster, Babe.”

“Yeah…” Babe presses his face into Gene’s thick hair, massaging soothing strokes up and down his back. He can feel the other man’s breaths evening out against him, his heartrate slowing from it’s manic drumbeat. “But it was a really scary roller coaster.”

When Gene finally pulls back, there is a faint smile on his face – half-sheepish, eyes looking up at Babe with unmeasured warmth.

Babe lets go of all but his hands. There he keeps clasped between his own, his fingers massaging soothing circles into Gene’s knuckles. “How about,” he says, “we go for a walk along the pier, and try to win some of those carnival games, huh?”

Now Gene really does crack a smile. “Those are all rigged.”

“That’s part of the fun,” Babe replies. When he squeezes Gene’s hand, he gets a tight burst of pressure in return. 

“Come on,” Gene says, stepping out of the stall. “Let’s go waste our time.”

Babe can’t think of a better way to spend the rest of the day.


End file.
